Five plays that mattered in UMary’s 78-71 win over Northern State

The University of Mary bounced back Saturday with a 78-71 road victory over Northern State despite its leading scorer in Gabbie Bohl being held to a season-low eight points. The Marauders got solid play out of junior forward Cassie Askvig and got good minutes from freshmen Kassandra Bartek, Afton Bartol and Raquel Doll.

Askvig finished with a game-high 28 points on a stellar 81.8 shooting percentage as the Marauders shot 50 percent or better from the field for the third straight game. Here are five plays that stood out above the rest in UMary’s fourth Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference win.

UMary bounces back with a 78-71 win over Northern State. Gabbie Bohl finished with just eight points but it's nice to see others step up. Cassie Askvig scored a game-high 28 points and Jordyn Jossart added 12. Back-to-back-to-back games where UMary shot 50 percent or better.

This game oddly started very slowly. About four minutes into the first quarter there had only been two made buckets and a pair of free throws. A win is a win and it doesn’t matter how you start, it’s about how you finish. But Jordyn Jossart’s first 3-pointer of the afternoon tied the game up at 10-10 after NSU had an early 8-2 advantage. Jossart’s long-range make was important because it started an 8-2 run for UMary to end the first quarter.

Bartol’s layup with 50 seconds left in the first half

The Marauders controlled the tempo for most of the first half and had an 11 point lead three times in the second quarter. However, the Wolves used a 7-2 run late in first half and cut UMary’s lead to four (37-33) with 1:07 to go. Bartol’s second layup of the contest put a stop to NSU’s run with 50 seconds left before the break and the Marauders took a 41-33 lead into halftime.

Bartek 3-pointer with 1:32 left in the third quarter

The Wolves wouldn’t go away and trailed 57-50 with 2:21 left in the third quarter after trailing by 14 about four minutes prior. A defensive stop and another bucket could’ve made it a two-possession game but Bartek wasn’t going to let that happen. The Oak Creek, Wis., native drilled a 3-pointer with 1:32 to play and upped UMary’s lead to 10 (60-50). On the Marauders next offensive possession, Bartek nailed another 3-pointer to give her squad a 63-50 lead. Her first 3-pointer was big, the second was the icing on the cake.

Bohl’s jumper with 9:07 to play in the game

UMary had a double-digit lead multiple times during the game against NSU but its largest lead came at the 9:07 mark in the fourth quarter. Bohl’s jumper gave UMary a 67-52 lead not even a minute into the final frame and it happened to be the Marauders only two points for the next four minutes of play.

Williams’ free throws with 30 seconds left

Free throws are one of the most important parts to a basketball game and making them down the stretch with a lead is what makes good teams great. The Wolves cut UMary’s lead to 76-69 on a Lexi Wadsworth jumper with 39 seconds left in the contest and had to foul. Two fouls later, Macy Williams found herself at the free throw line with 30 seconds left and went 2 for 2 to give UMary a 78-69 lead. Those free throws sealed the deal for Rick Neumann and company.